


Dear Luna

by Kaoru_chibimaster



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: M/M, Pining, a little angsty, but not like super angsty, chapter 2 fluff, noctis dealing with Feelings TM
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-23
Updated: 2019-12-23
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:00:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,073
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21914869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaoru_chibimaster/pseuds/Kaoru_chibimaster
Summary: “Dear Luna” used to have such an excited ring to it. They used to be words Noctis was excited to write, followed up with playful quips and long rambles and whimsical photos.Now he dreaded them as he penned them. “Dear Luna” had become the beginning of an end.
Relationships: Prompto Argentum/Noctis Lucis Caelum
Comments: 2
Kudos: 20
Collections: FFXV Holiday Gift Exchange 2019





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lorax](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lorax/gifts).



> Happy Holidays, lorax! I hope you enjoy!

_I’m sorry, Luna but I…_

No, that wasn’t going to work. Hmm.

_I wish things could be different, but this marriage arrangement…_

No, no, because that’d be lying and Noctis wasn’t…

He wasn’t trying to hurt her.

How in the hell could he say this without doing exactly that?

_I do love you, Luna, but I don’t think I love you the way a husband should…_

That just sounded trite.

Maybe if he started with something nicer…

_I think you’re swell._

Yeah, no.

Noctis scribbled the entire sentence out. And then the entire paper. It was a waste, but it wasn’t as if the Leville was going to bill him for aborted confession letters. Particularly ones that were confessing to his fiancée that he was attracted to his best friend and wasn’t particularly interested in marrying said fiancée.

He’d meant it, when he wrote it. He really did love Luna. But not…not at all in the way he should’ve if they were to expect a happy marriage together. If that was even something to expect anymore. The way Luna spoke to him in her notebook was like watching a coin flip. On some occasions she was all business, readying for the rite in Altissia and expecting nothing more than official business with the Hydraean and likely with the Accordan government. On others, her tone seemed almost wistful. As if the farce that their arranged wedding had been was not so to her. As if she still expected to marry Noctis when all of this was over.

She was technically on the right track of mind: when all was said and done and it was time for Noctis to take back Insomnia, he’d need to provide an heir to the throne.

It also made him somewhat sick to his stomach to think of Luna as simply that: an heir birther. Or whatever it’d be called. Consort? Astrals, it was stupid either way. She deserved better than that.

All of it was rather ambiguous in the end though, and Noctis wanted to clear everything up so that there were no misunderstandings. No doubts or expectations. He couldn’t give Luna what she wanted in a marriage like that.

Not when there was…someone else.

Slowly, eyes drifted over to the tuft of blond hair peeking out from under the covers. There was phone light illuminating them in a soft blue glow, and sounds of frustration coming from his direction as well, telling Noct that Prompto was probably playing a game and not winning. It kept him occupied, which Noctis was thankful for. He didn’t know what he’d do if Prompto had looked over his shoulder to find him trying to break up with his future wife in the least douchey way possible.

He didn’t know what he’d do with Prompto hovering over him at all, quite frankly. It shouldn’t have been anything special. Noctis shouldn’t have been taking in the scent of generic hotel soap and wondering why it was suddenly appealing when coated over his best friend’s skin. He shouldn’t have been pondering the tiny shivers running up the length of his spine that Prompto’s close proximity gave him. The warmth of his body heat and the brush of each breath that might’ve washed over the nape of his neck. The scent of toothpaste when he leaned over to speak, his palm warm and steady and confident on Noctis’ shoulder as he used it for support. He’d make some dumb quip that Noctis would feign offense to when in reality he was holding an inward battle with himself: one side trying desperately to convince the other that turning his head and leaning that little bit of distance in so that their lips met was probably not the brightest idea.

He didn’t even know if Prompto felt the same way. Hell, he didn’t even know if Prompto liked men. Sure, he was flirty as hell with both sexes but he never seemed serious when he did so. And his enthusiasm over Cindy wasn’t the best indicator that the odds were in Noctis’ favor. It was…puppyish in a way. Like he was excited to be in her presence and when he wasn’t, he was excited to end up back in it at some point. It didn’t come across like he was really planning on asking her out, but…

No. Noctis didn’t need to get his hopes up about it.

Besides, regardless of whether or not his feelings were or ever would be reciprocated, he still needed to handle the matter at hand.

Luna.

Gods, it was like trying to shove the world’s bluntest needle through a thick piece of leather. The words wouldn’t stick to the page. He had no clue how to word what he was trying to say, and in all honesty wasn’t even sure if he should say it, which was why he’d spent the last half hour scribbling on the little hotel notepad for practice. Ignis and Gladio had gone who knew where for who knew what—Noctis hadn’t paid much attention when they announced it—so he had no one breathing down his neck for anything.

Well, no one physically.

Mentally, it felt like the entirety of Eos was breathing down his damn neck. Go do this, go fight that, go dethrone a fucking emperor, go appease the godsdamned astrals, go succeed your father…

That last one, somehow, felt like the hardest task on his list of expectations. Being crown prince, he was technically already king, he just needed to be coronated. He dreaded that day more than the day he was currently trying to put off for good.

Honestly, did he really have to get married? Nowadays, there was nothing less viable with surrogacy. Hell, if he needed to, he’d just adopt. He didn’t think he could stomach asking Luna for something like this when he was already…

Did it even count as breaking an engagement when it was arranged against their will by the empire? Noctis didn’t even know. He figured he ought to settle things personally with Luna though. For both their sakes.

Which brought him back to this.

What to send back in the notebook?

He was used to sending short answers and the occasional picture. Anything beyond that was time consuming and, he thought at least, a nuisance to send to someone who had better things to do than read awkward, overly wordy letters. This, however, felt a little more serious than a single sentence and a pointless picture. Besides, he’d have to ask Prompto to take it so that he could have a physical copy to send and he wasn’t quite ready to explain how their random selfie together was actually going to be sent as proof of Noctis’ feelings for someone other than Luna.

Though he didn’t necessarily _have_ to explain it, he supposed.

No matter how much he wished he could.

He couldn’t even really explain it to himself. It’d been five years. _Five_. Where were these feelings? These urges? Where was this confusing desire all that time? Why now? Why was it that when he looked back on all that time spent with Prompto…

He saw a bright smile. Freckled, rosy cheeks. Playful violet-blue eyes. He remembered casual touches: nudges and pats and the occasional slap on the ass that tended to leave Noctis with a furiously red blush. He remembered up close and personal, skin almost brushing when they sat near one another. He remembered admiring every inch of his best friend, hardly able to believe that someone so bright and colorful could look at the aloof prince and approach him with such a friendly, familiar tone. As if they’d been friends all their lives.

He spent those fives years just watching. Just taking all that Prompto was in. Like a breath of fresh air every time they met up. He was fun and carefree. He was _life_.

That meant _everything_ to Noctis.

So maybe it hadn’t come out of nowhere then. Maybe this whole time, Noctis had been waiting around for something to happen without even realizing it. As if it hadn’t even occurred to him until now that maybe, possibly he might be in love with his best friend.

In love. Not that familial, deep but platonic love he felt for Luna. The sort where he’d expect to attend her wedding as best man rather than the groom.

No what he felt for Prompto was far different for that.

Damn.

He really didn’t know what to make of that.

It…it helped though. At least with writing this letter.

It helped him work through why he needed to clear this up with Luna. It felt wrong not to give her any explanation. And this needed to be said for Noctis’ sake as well. He needed to put this revelation into words.

He grabbed the notebook from the bed, confident in what he had to say this time. In the corner of the room, Umbra rested as he waited for Noctis to finish writing back. Almost as if he sensed that Noctis had come to a decision on what to write, he lifted his head and watched with almost a curious tilt of his head.

_Dear Luna_ , Noctis began.

_I wish I could send you nothing but good news. Maybe say that everything’s alright and things will go back to how they used to. I wish they could. You have no idea how much._

_Or maybe you do. I’m sure you also wish we could turn back time. Go back to before the Empire. Before they invaded Fenestala. Before the daemon attack. Maybe we could’ve met under different circumstances. Maybe everything could be different._

_Things are confusing. I’m probably rambling and I guess I should just get to the point._

Laughing quietly to himself, Noctis paused for a moment when he realized that he was indeed rambling. Taking forever to get to the point. She deserved better than him beating around the bush. She deserved the truth.

_I know I haven’t been the most open. I kept you at a distance. But I want to be honest with you now._

_Altissia is coming up sooner than I expected. It’s like time just flies out here. We’ve been fighting the empire and roughing it in the wild. Attacking bases and regrouping in Lestallum and Caem._

_I’ve contacted two of the Astrals. I know we’ve been following your trail. Your covenant with Leviathan is the next step right?_

_Of course it is. I’m not even sure why I asked that._

_But I_

…Sighing, Noctis took the plunge.

_I’ve been so mixed up lately. Everything’s happened at once and I’ve barely had time to process it. I don’t want to send any mixed signals to you. I don’t want to go to Altissia expecting anything more than the rite. I know there’s a possibility the wedding isn’t even on anymore, not with how the Empire set it up, but I want to make sure this isn’t swept under the rug. I want to make sure we’re both on the same page here._

_I love you, Luna. Truly. But I can’t marry you._

Biting his lip nervously, his hands nearly shook as he continued writing.

_Not when there’s someone else._

_Someone I love in a completely different way. It’s kinda surreal, actually. I honestly hadn’t noticed until recently that this was what it even was. I wasn’t sure how to_

Grimacing, Noctis figured she probably didn’t want to hear that. He crossed that out before he ended up rambling again.

_~~I wasn’t sure how to~~ _

_I want you to know that I don’t want to hurt you. And I think you deserve the best life you can possibly get after all is said and done. Which is why I will defeat the Empire. I will take back Lucis and I will make them give you back Tenebrae._

_I will make sure you live the rest of your life in peace. You and Ravus. And I hope that even though we can’t get married, we’ll remain the best of friends._

_~~Sincerely~~ _

_Love, Noctis_

There. That was…

That was better than nothing. That was a weight lifted off of Noctis’ shoulders. To at least admit it, even if on paper and even if not to Prompto…

It was out there in the open now. Noctis acknowledged it and he felt that much lighter for it.

He hoped Luna would understand. He doubted she wouldn’t; she was so strong and kind and understanding. She could read Noctis like an open book, even when they hadn’t spoken in person in twelve years. She wouldn’t be upset.

Hopefully.

Another sigh left a vacuum in Noctis’ chest as he shut the book, holding it out as Umbra stood from his spot and trotted over. He sat patiently as Noctis tied it to his back, waiting with calm, intelligent eyes. Noctis watched him back, running a hand through his thick black fur and scratching lightly behind one of his ears in an absentminded, familiar gesture. It kept him grounded where everything else within him was in disarray.

“Take this to Luna. And please, keep her company. I feel like she needs it now more than ever.”

With Ravus gallivanting around under the Empire’s orders now and Noctis unsure if Gentiana even stuck around all the time, he was sure Luna needed a friend. He didn’t know what emotions his words would bring to her, but he hoped she would be okay.

He wondered if it would be too much to ask that she give her blessing.

Noctis peeked back at Prompto, noting how he was silent now, the blanket over him—half tossed off what with the Lestallum heat making cover a little unbearable—rising and falling slowly with even breaths. He’d fallen asleep in the middle of his game, most likely. Noctis wished he could go over there, maybe smooth his hair back. Maybe join him, spooned against his back. He had a feeling he’d sleep better that way than he had the past few _weeks_.

Of course, he knew he couldn’t. He knew he still needed time to figure himself out. He doubted Prompto even felt the same way. He knew they didn’t really have time for this sort of thing, not when they’d be heading back to Caem tomorrow, and then to Altissia.

Noctis figured, on the chance that Luna even accepted his words and gave him her blessing, that he’d probably need it. On top of maybe some prayers and a few miracles on top of that. If he expected anything to come of his feelings…

No, but that was unlikely. He’d have to settle for admiring his best friend from afar.

…And not getting flattened by Leviathan along the way.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This second chapter was actually super last minute but I wanted to add something fluffy to the end.

“So you know…”

Prompto looked up from the fire they’d started at one of the camps along the way, raising an eyebrow at Noctis and scratching at his patch of a beard. He’d remained in his chair even after Ignis and Gladio had retired to the tent. They’d stopped just shy of the bridge to Insomnia, gotten the emotional stuff out of the way…for the most part.

Noctis figured now was as good a time as ever to top it off with a confession. What did he have to lose at this point?

“You know,” he continued. “I’ve been in love with you for like ten years, right?”

The way Prompto’s eyes nearly popped out of his head was beyond comical, and Noctis found the somber mood of the evening completely blown away. He’d even snorted as he laughed.

“ _Dude_. Not funny!”

“I know, I know,” Noctis waved him off. “Despite the laughter, I’m not joking. I realized it right around our last trip to Caem.”

“Oh yeah?” Prompto’s eyebrow raised higher. “What caused that? And why me? You know you were engaged to a _princess_ , right?”

“Well technically her title as Princess was symbolic. She was the Oracle first and foremost—”

“Your smartassery ain’t fooling me, Noct. _Why me?_ ”

“Why not you?”

He was everything and more to Noctis after all. He was there for Noctis through thick and thin, even when he had every right and reason to go on about his life as a normal citizen of Insomnia. He was there _with_ Noctis.

His birthplace, his station, his purpose…none of that _mattered_. He was _Prompto_ and that was all Noctis needed.

No wonder he’d fallen so hard.

Of course, when he told Prompto all of this, he was rewarded with a deep red flush and a sheepish laugh.

“Why, uh…” Prompto started, swallowing loudly before continuing. “Why didn’t you tell me before?”

“C’mon. We were trying to save the world and you were hung up on Cindy. When could I have said anything?” They were probably piss poor excuses but all the same they’d been perfectly sound to an awkward twenty-year-old still trying to figure out his attraction to his best friend.

At thirty and facing the climax of his fate, Noctis figured he was too old for that shit. It was about time he said _something_.

“Noct…” Prompto’s face pinched up into disapproval. “You know me. You coulda _told me_. I’d have been fine with it! Honestly, I wish you had…”

“And I was supposed to know that how?”

“Really? You thought I would flip out on you for liking me? Hell, you would’ve made a pretty convincing case to me that it was okay that I like you back.”

…Oh.

“….Well, that settles it. We were a couple of idiots.”

Ten years he’d waited. And he could’ve just said something.

Now he just felt downright foolish.

It wasn’t so bad though, what with Prompto’s laughter lightening the atmosphere.

“A couple of _huge_ idiots,” he chuckled. Noctis couldn’t help but join in.

“Yeah, yeah… Well now we can be a couple of huge idiots together.”

Prompto scooted his chair closer then, reaching out to grab Noctis’ hand. His violet blue eyes met Noctis’ with a number of emotions in them. Humor, happiness, determination…

A promise.

“Always have been. And always will be.”

Noctis’ smile turned sad at that, even as he gripped Prompto’s hand back tightly.

“I’m not so sure about that.”

“I am.” Neither his smile nor his gaze wavered. And Noctis wanted to believe him. He knew he believed in him. “I’m with you ‘til the end.”


End file.
